COLLEGE PARK, Md. - C.D. "Dan" Mote Jr., past president and Regents Professor of the University of Maryland, has been elected as the next president of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). His six year term will start July 1, 2013. Mote succeeds Charles M. Vest.

"It is inspiring to be selected from among the nation's most distinguished engineers to lead the National Academy of Engineering," said Mote. "It is an opportunity I never expected, but which I am looking forward to greatly. The National Academy has a vital national leadership responsibility because engineering is a key to our national competitiveness, security and quality of life."

The National Academy of Engineering is part of the National Academies, which also include the National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine, and National Research Council. These independent, nonprofit institutions advise the government and the public on issues related to science, engineering, and medicine. NAE members are the nation's premier engineers, elected by their peers for their distinguished achievements. Established in 1964, NAE operates under the congressional charter granted to the National Academy of Sciences in 1863. The NAE president is a full-time employee of the organization at its headquarters in Washington, D.C., and also serves as vice chair of the National Research Council, the principal research arm of the National Academies.

A National Leader in Education and Research
A leader who has long advocated for education and increased support of basic research, Mote served on a National Academies' committee in 2005 that produced the highly influential report, Rising Above the Gathering Storm. It proposed a series of steps to increase research funding, invest in K-12 science and math education and enhance opportunities for entrepreneurship.  As chair and co-chair respectively, Mote also led National Academies' science and technology research and workforce reports by the committee on Global Science and Technology Strategies and Their Effect on the US National Security and the committee on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Workforce Needs for the US Department of Defense. He has testified before Congress and been featured in the news on issues ranging from education funding models to deemed export controls.

Mote served as University of Maryland president and Glenn L. Martin Institute Professor of Engineering in UMD's A. James Clark School of Engineering from 1998 to 2010. Under his leadership, the university's research funding increased by more than 150 percent and the university greatly expanded partnerships with corporate and federal laboratories. Mote also negotiated establishment of the University of Maryland-China Research Park, connecting Maryland and Chinese companies for joint ventures. Stressing the importance of closing the achievement gap, Mote helped UMD achieve the fourth highest graduation rate for underrepresented minorities in 2007 among public research universities.

Internationally recognized for his research on the dynamics of gyroscopic systems, including high-speed translating and rotating systems, and the biomechanics of snow skiing, Mote has authored or co-authored more than 300 publications, holds patents in the United States, Norway, Finland and Sweden, and has mentored 58 Ph.D. students.

Mote was elected to the NAE in 1988 "for analysis of the mechanics of complex dynamic systems, providing results of great practical importance in vibrations and biomechanics," and is the current NAE treasurer and a member of the National Research Council's Governing Board Executive Committee. In addition, he co-chairs the Government-University-Industry Research Roundtable and Committee on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Workforce Needs for the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Defense Industrial Base. His past Research Council service includes membership on the Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy and chairmanship of the Committee on Global Science and Technology Strategies and Their Effect on U.S. National Security.

His many professional honors include receiving in 2005 the NAE Founders Award and in 2011 the highest honor in his field - the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Medal.

Mote received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, where he served on the faculty for 31 years and held positions as chair of the department of mechanical engineering, president of the UC Berkeley Foundation, and vice chancellor. He has received three honorary doctorates and the Berkeley Citation, an award from the university similar to an honorary doctorate.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – A new program for treating the emotional health of mothers of children with ADHD has shown significant benefits for the children themselves, finds a new study by University of Maryland researchers. The program combines treatment for a mother's stress/depression with behavioral parenting skills training. The study's findings were recently published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 

More than 50 percent of mothers with children who have ADHD have a lifetime history of major depression. When mothers are stressed or depressed, they often have difficulty being positive, patient, and consistent with their challenging children. In turn, less optimal parenting style may have adverse effects on their children, which can lead to conduct problems, depression and even suicide attempts.

The research, led by UMD associate professor of psychology Andrea Chronis-Tuscano, uses a new method of intervention for mothers of children with ADHD, which not only teaches mothers to manage their children's behavior but also teaches them to manage their own mood and stress by engaging in enjoyable activities, maintaining a positive attitude, and learning relaxation techniques.

"Psychologists and therapists often only focus on the child with ADHD—they often don't  look at the parents," says Chronis-Tuscano. "By paying attention to the mental health needs of mothers, we have found that we can effectively improve outcomes for the child with ADHD."

The parenting interventions integrated a cognitive-behavioral course in coping with depression with behavioral parent training, which includes topics like praising positive child behaviors, creating house rules, ,maintaining structure and routines, and implementing consistent non-physical consequences for misbehavior. The group sessions were primarily instructive but also incorporated group discussion, modeling, role play and home exercises that involved practicing the parenting skills.

"By teaching moms to take care of themselves, they can be better parents to their children with ADHD," says Chronis-Tuscano.